Heartbeats and Illusions

Breaking into someone's home without permission is undeniably rude. Natsukawa Kanade was fully aware of this. He could have simply left the lecture notes at the door, sent a quick message to explain his visit, and gone on his way. But, as a "friend," wasn't it his duty to check on a sick senpai?

After stepping inside, Kanade took a quick glance around the entryway. The layout was strikingly similar to his own apartment, almost as if both were the work of the same interior designer.

But that wasn't important. What caught Kanade's attention was a suspicious item sitting on the carpet near the shoe rack—a pair of men's leather shoes.

"...Huh?"

The shoes were practically brand new, with almost no signs of wear. Judging by their size, the owner was likely around 180 centimeters tall. But why would men's shoes be in Kasumigaoka Utaha's home?

His gaze shifted to the side, landing on a familiar pair of high heels. He instantly recognized them—they were the same ones she wore the last time they met in Saitama. Kanade vividly recalled removing those very shoes to tend to her foot injury, an act he hadn't forgotten.

This was Kasumigaoka-senpai's home. That much was certain. So why were these men's shoes here?

Kanade frowned. If the shoes belonged to her father, surely he would have answered the door when Kanade rang the bell earlier. The way the shoes were casually left out instead of being placed neatly in the shoe cabinet suggested someone who wasn't planning to stay long. But that didn't align with the idea of a family visit.

"...This doesn't feel right," he muttered under his breath.

A troubling thought crept into his mind. Could it be… a robbery?

No, that didn't make sense. What kind of robber takes off their shoes before committing a crime? Still, the open door, the men's shoes, and the lack of any response to his calls painted a worrying picture. The more Kanade thought about it, the more plausible it seemed.

What if the door wasn't left open by accident? What if it was forced open? What if some criminal, drawn by senpai's beauty, had followed her home and taken advantage of her vulnerability?

Kanade's heart began to race. She had taken leave from school that morning—what if the criminal had been holding her hostage since last night?

A stalker? A fugitive?

The best-case scenario was that Kasumigaoka-senpai was unharmed and merely being held captive. But Kanade's stomach churned at the darker possibilities.

"Should I call the police?" he wondered aloud, clenching his fists.

But calling the police would draw attention and waste precious time. Every passing second could put senpai in even greater danger. Right now, there was no time to hesitate. If anyone could help her, it had to be him.

Silently, Kanade kicked off his shoes and stepped into the living room, careful to make no noise. His eyes darted around, scanning the area for anything out of place. Nothing seemed unusual—no signs of a struggle or forced entry.

He spotted a long-handled umbrella near the door and grabbed it, gripping it tightly like a makeshift weapon. Slowly, he moved toward the closed rooms, his breath shallow, his heartbeat pounding in his ears.

Then, faint sounds reached his ears. They were coming from one of the rooms.

Kanade's body tensed. Pressing himself against the wall, he strained to hear more clearly.

He didn't know who—or what—was inside. Nor did he know how strong the intruder might be. Rushing in blindly could backfire, giving the criminal the chance to use Kasumigaoka-senpai as a hostage. That was a risk Kanade couldn't afford to take.

If possible, Natsukawa Kanade hoped the criminal would reveal themselves, giving him the perfect chance to launch a sneak attack. That would be ideal.

But reality, as always, had other plans.

"Help! Someone, please save me!"

A desperate cry echoed from inside the room.

Kanade's eyes sharpened like a blade. Without hesitation, he pushed the door open and charged in, muscles coiled like a spring, ready to strike. His grip on the long-handled umbrella tightened as he prepared to neutralize the threat in one swift move.

But what awaited him was far from the scenario he'd imagined.

Kasumigaoka Utaha, the supposed hostage, was the only person in the room. There was no criminal. No imminent danger. Just her, sitting calmly on the bed with a towel in hand, casually wiping her body.

"...What?" Kanade froze, his mind trying to process the scene before him.

Pajamas were haphazardly tossed onto the bed, and her upper body was almost entirely bare. With one arm raised, Utaha carefully wiped her slender waist with a wet towel, her movements unhurried and graceful.

A basin of water sat on the bedside table, and a laptop was perched on the bed. It was playing a movie, its speakers responsible for the cries that had sent Kanade into a frenzy.

For a moment, there was only silence.

Then, the awkwardness of the situation hit like a meteor.

"..."

"..."

"..."

=========

Kasumigaoka's sharp gaze landed on Kanade, who was kneeling on the floor in a half-panicked daze. Her expression quickly shifted from surprise to thinly veiled amusement.

"So, junior," she began, her tone carrying a hint of venomous sweetness, "care to explain why you suddenly broke into a lady's home?"

By now, Utaha had thrown on some casual clothes and was sitting cross-legged on the bed, her face radiating a mix of smugness and disdain. "Could it be that you've finally reached your limit, so hungry and desperate that you've decided to pounce on a cute, beautiful girl like me? Hmm?"

Though her body still showed signs of illness, her spirits seemed to have improved significantly—perhaps fueled by the absurdity of the situation.

"Uh, no, senpai! It's not like that!" Kanade stammered, his head lowering in shame as he frantically tried to explain. "It's all a misunderstanding! I wasn't trying to—"

But his mind betrayed him. The scene from moments ago replayed in vivid detail, flooding his thoughts like an unstoppable tide. Try as he might, he couldn't escape the gravitational pull of human instinct, and his words came out jumbled and hesitant.

"I-I saw men's leather shoes at the entrance," Kanade managed to blurt out. "I thought… I thought you might have been in danger. I was worried you'd been attacked, so I broke in…"

He trailed off, his voice growing quieter as he realized how ridiculous he sounded.

Utaha's expression softened, though only slightly. "Oh? So you're saying I should thank you for saving me, hero-kun?"

"In theory…" Kanade began.

"Hmm?" Utaha's eyes narrowed into dangerous slits.

"Of course not!" Kanade quickly waved his hands, frantically correcting himself. "I was too worried and acted recklessly. I entered without permission, and I deeply apologize for my behavior, senpai. Please, I hope you can find it in your heart to forgive me!"

The crime scene Kanade had envisioned hadn't materialized. Instead, he'd walked straight into one of the most mortifying moments of his life. Despite his embarrassment, he couldn't bring himself to feel regret—not entirely. After all, the unexpected reward for his efforts was a glimpse of his senpai's generous proportions.

Kasumigaoka Utaha, however, wasn't about to let him off so easily.

"Hmph," she huffed, feigning indifference as her mood visibly improved. "Still, it's not every day I get to see my adorable junior acting all flustered. And to think, you were worried about me…" Her voice trailed off, carrying a faint hint of satisfaction.

Kanade noted that her complexion looked healthier than before, as if his arrival had somehow brightened her spirits.

But Utaha wasn't done yet.

"Hmph. You think you can just break into a girl's house and get off scot-free?" she said, her smirk returning. "You've done something so lucky, so perverted, and I wasn't even remotely prepared for it. How shameless of you."

Kanade gulped. Something about her tone set off alarm bells in his head.

"If you want my forgiveness," Utaha declared, "you'll have to agree to one condition."

Kanade stiffened. This wasn't going to end well.